OPETH RELEASE EIGHTH STUDIO BLOG VIDEO FOR ‘SORCERESS’

Swedish experimental heavy-rock pioneers OPETH have released the eighth instalment, “Studio Report – Episode 8,” of their in-depth, behind the scenes series on the making of their 12th studio album, ‘Sorceress’. In this new trailer, keyboardist Joakim Svalberg talks about the recordings for ‘Sorceress’ and his love for vintage instruments. The highly-anticipated record is out on September 30th via the band’s imprint labelModerbolaget Records with Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Catch up on the previous episodes here:
Mikael leads you through the Rockfield Studios
Mikael speaks about the guitar recordings
Axe speaks about the drum recordings
Martin speaks about the bass recordings
Mikael speaks about the songwriting
Fredrik speaks about the guitar recordings
Mikael talks about the lyrical concept

OPETH also released a lyric video to ‘Will O The Wisp‘ last week. Listen to the melancholic, Jethro-Tull-like single now:

The record will be available in an array of formats and editions including CD, 2CD Digipak, 2LP Vinyl (in various colours at 180 gram) from the Nuclear Blast Store: http://nblast.de/OpethSorceressNB and Recordstore.co.uk (orders come with signed inserts – whilst stocks last): http://nblast.de/OpethSorceressRS

Pre-order ‘Sorceress‘ digitally and receive both “Will O the Wisp” and the band’s previously released title track, “Sorceress”: http://nblast.de/OpethSorceressIT

OPETH will return to the UK for a headline show at Wembley Arena on Saturday 19th November. Tickets are on sale now from www.livenation.co.uk.

Full tour dates as follows:
05.11. S         Stockholm – Annexet
06.11. N         Oslo – Konserthus
07.11. DK       Copenhagen – DR Koncerthuset, Koncertsalen
08.11. D         Hamburg – Docks
10.11. A          Vienna – Arena
11.11. D         Stuttgart – LKA Longhorn
12.11. D         Munich – Theaterfabrik
13.11. CH       Zurich – Volkshaus
14.11. I           Milan – Alcatraz
16.11. D         Cologne – E-Werk
17.11. B          Brussels – AB
18.11. NL        Tilburg – 013
19.11. UK       London – SSE Arena Wembley
21.11. F          Paris – Le Trianon
23.11. LUX      Luxemburg – Den Atelier
24.11. D         Berlin – Astra Kulturhaus

OPETH North American Tour:
24.09. USA      San Bernardino, CA – Ozzfest
29.09. USA     Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
30.09. USA     Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
01.10. USA     New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
02.10. USA     Boston, MA – House Of Blues
04.10. CDN     Montreal, QC – Metropolis
05.10. CDN     Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
07.10. USA     Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
08.10. USA     Akron, OH – Good Year Theater @ East End
09.10. USA     Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater
10.10. USA     Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
12.10. USA     Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
13.10. USA     Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
14.10. USA     Austin, TX – Emo‘s
15.10. USA     Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live!
18.10. USA     Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
19.10. USA     Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
21.10. USA     Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
22.10. USA     San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
24.10. USA     Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
25.10. USA     Seattle, WA – The Moore
26.10. CDN     Vancouver, BC – Orpheum

MORE INFO:

www.opeth.com
www.facebook.com/opeth
www.twitter.com/officialopeth
www.nuclearblast.de/opeth

AMORPHIS – 360° VIDEOS OF SPECIAL SHOWS LAUNCHED!

Finnish masters of melancholic progressive metal, AMORPHIS, recently played special shows (‘An Evening With Friends’) in Helsinki. The band performed ‘Under The Red Cloud‘ in its entirety among others. These shows were filmed with a 360 degree camera.

Watch them now on AMORPHIS‘ YouTube channel.

More on ‘Under The Red Cloud‘:
‘Death Of A King’ OFFICIAL VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc-gEds3eTM
‘Sacrifice’ OFFICIAL VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiOX2axSWvg
‘Death Of A King’ OFFICIAL TRACK & LYRICS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ql4Xe6MxQ4
‘Under The Red Cloud’ OFFICIAL TRACK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juj4d5NlMCI

AMORPHIS live 2016:

10.09. FIN       Nivala – Tuiskala
03.10. RC       Beijing – Yu Gong Yi Shan
05.10. RC       Mao Livehouse
07.10. HK       Hongkong – Hidden Agenda
09.10. J           Saitama Shi – Loud Park

»Eclipse« – 10th Anniversary Shows
05.11. FIN       Helsinki – Nosturi
26.11. FIN       Terminaali Areena – Oulu
29.11. D         Herford – Club X
30.11. D         Cologne – Essigfabrik
01.12. NL        Tilburg – 013
02.12. D         Regensburg – Airport Obertraubling
03.12. D         Dresden – Reithalle
04.12. CH       Zurich – Komplex 457
08.12. FIN       Jyväskylä – Lutakko
09.12. FIN       Joensuu – Kerubi
10.12. FIN       Kouvola – House Of Rock
16.12. FIN       Seinäjoki – Rytmikorjaamo
17.12. FIN       Himos – Himos Areena
30.12. FIN       Tampere – Pakkahuone
31.12. FIN       Helsinki – Virgin Oil

AMORPHIS live 2017:

02. – 06.02.     USA     Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL – 70000 Tons Of Metal

w/ OVERKILL, NILE, SWALLOW THE SUN
06.03. USA     Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
07.03. USA     Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
08.03. USA     Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
09.03. USA     Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall

—

10.03. USA     Providence, RI – Firehouse 13
12.03. USA     Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
14.03. USA     New York, NY – Stage 48
15.03. CDN     Ottawa, ON – Mavericks
16.03. CDN     Quebec, QC – Le Cercle
17.03. CDN     Montreal, QC – Foufones Electriques
18.03. USA     Toronto, ON – Mod Club
19.03. USA     Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater
21.03. USA     Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroom
22.03. USA     Columbus, OH – Ace Of Cups
23.03. USA     Louisville, KY – Diamond Pub And Billiards
24.03. USA     Westland, MI – The Token Lounge
25.03. USA     Cudahy, WI – The Metal Grill
26.03. USA     Chicago, IL – Reggies Rock Club
28.03. USA     Minneapolis, MN – The Cabooze
29.03. CDN     Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre
30.03. CDN     Regina, SK – Exchange
31.03. CDN     Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
01.04. CDN     Calgary, AB – Dickens
02.04. CDN     Kelowna, BC – Level
03.04. CDN     North Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
04.04. USA     Seattle, WA – El Corazon
07.04. USA     Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go
08.04. USA     Anaheim, CA – City National Grove
09.04. USA     Mesa, AZ – Club Red
11.04. USA     Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
12.04. USA     Merriam, KS – Aftershock
14.04. USA     Dallas, TX – Trees
15.04. USA     San Antonio, TX – Fitzgeralds
16.04. USA     Houston, TX – Scout Bar
17.04. USA     Jefferson, LA – Southport Hall
18.04. USA     Ybor City, FL – The Orpheum
19.04. USA     Winter Park, FL – The Haven
20.04. USA     Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
21.04. USA     Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
23.04. USA     Amityville, NY – Revolution Bar & Music Hall

—
More info:
www.amorphis.net
www.facebook.com/amorphis
www.nuclearblast.de/amorphis

ORDER ‘UNDER THE RED CLOUD’:

Pick up the Limited Edition Double Red Vinyl exclusively from the Nuclear Blast UK store:http://nblast.de/AmorphisRedSigned

Be Prog! My Friend Returns For 2017 – Ulver Are First Band Announced!

30th June – 1st JULY 2017 – BARCELONA

THE FESTIVAL WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE WORLD’S BEST PROGRESSIVE BANDS RETURNS IN 2017 WITH ULVER…

Since its inception in 2014 the Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend has played host to the likes of Opeth, Steven Wilson, Anathema, Devin Townsend, TesseracT, The Pineapple Thief, Magma, Agent Fresco, Camel, Meshuggah, Katatonia, Riverside, Ihsahn and Alcest.

Taking place in the beautiful open air surroundings of Poble Espanyol the site is one of the most important landmarks of tourism in Barcelona. By day the Catalonian hotspot is an architectural museum and at the end of June, start of July it will play host to some of the world’s finest progressive bands.

This year saw the festival co-headlined by Steven Wilson and fellow progressive heavy weights Opeth. Now Be Prog! My Friend have announced that it will return in 2017 on 30^st June and 1^st July with Norwegian experimental music collective Ulver.

The festivlal organsiers comment: ‘Ulver are a fresh triumph of modern music, music that catches your heart and captures your soul. Ulver create music that cult festival Be Prog! My Friend must bring to Barcelona in its fourth edition in 2017.’

Tickets are currently on sale now at the reduced price of 75 Euros for a limited time only – http://www.ticktackticket.com/entradas/goto.do?claves=.127248&origin=TTT&codIdioma=ING

Press for Be Prog! My Friend festival 2016:

‘And so Prog finds itself in love with Barcelona, the delightful weather and everything that Be Prog! My Friend has to offer’ – Prog Magazine

‘The leading festival for progressive music in Spain, showcased avant-garde music in a magnificent location’ – The Independent

‘Set in the hazy sunlit square of Barcelona’s historic and quite stunning Poble Espanyol, it certainly beats the sodden mud of the British festival season’ – Total Guitar Magazine

‘If nothing else, it proves that prog is alive and kicking. Especially in Catalonia’ – Classic Rock Magazine

http://www.beprogmyfriend.com/

facebook.com/beprogmyfriend

Be Prog! My Friend takes place in the heart of Barcelona and with an airport only 12km away, regular, cheap flights make it an easy festival to get and from the UK. Bands will start playing from mid/late afternoon each day which will also mean visitors have plenty of time to explore the stunning city of Barcelona while they are there.

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com

The Fierce And The Dead confirmed for RoSfest 2017 – article by Progradar

The Fierce and the Dead have been announced as the opening band for Sunday at Rosfest 2017. This slot at the festival is often dubbed The Church of Prog; the truly dedicated audience filling these chairs on an early Sunday morning, receptive to good music and eager to spread the word about it, is the equivalent of a congregation in progressive rock circles.

I dubbed them ‘A soundtrack for the current generation’. Purveyors of ‘lovingly crafted noise’ and pioneers of what they call ‘Funny Music’, this cult band saw their latest, limited edition, E.P. ‘Magnet’ sell out before its release date on August 14th last year. The Fierce and the Dead are as hot as it gets in the underground, small label and independent world at the moment.

Blake Carpenter of RoSfest said,

“We can’t wait to see this band make their live US debut at ROSfest 2017, and we’re certain that our first-rate audience will give Matt Stevens, Kev Feazey, Stuart Marshall and Steve Cleaton a warm welcome.”

I spoke to the band about their first visit to America…

“We’re so pleased to be playing in America and to play our first show at RoSfest is very exciting. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has been has said what a great festival it is and we’re really happy be involved” says guitarist Matt Stevens.

“Events like RoSfest are willing to take chances and invest in the global scene they represent – we are beyond stoked to have been asked to play, a real honour” adds bass player Kevin Feazey.

“Getting the chance to play our material to a new audience in a new country is a really exciting opportunity for us, and we can’t wait to get over there and pick up the audience so they can join us on our sonic journey!” continues guitar player Steve Cleaton.

“And all that remained were The Fierce And The Dead…..”

The three day festival begins on Friday, 5th May 2017

Tickets and information can be found at the RoSfest website.

(TFATD at The ArcTangent Festival, photo credit Ed Sprake)

EPICA RELEASE THIRD TRAILER FOR ‘THE HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLE’

Dutch symphonic metal stars EPICA are ready to release the third studio trailer for their upcoming masterpiece ‘The Holographic Principle‘. This new clip reveals a glimpse into the drum and vocal recordings and a detailed look behind the scenes.

“Only one month to go until the release!!!,” the band states. “Here is the 3rd part of the EPICA documentary. Dealing with the acoustic sessions, artwork and the concept behind ‘The Holographic Principle’! We hope you’ll enjoy watching it as much as we did by making the album.”

Catch up on the first two trailers:
Epica talk about the songwriting process: https://youtu.be/LSlEVPjG7rg
The band showcase the different instruments they worked with: https://youtu.be/HzqHyRu1oSc

Pre-order ‘The Holographic Principle’ here:
Limited Edition Earbook, Limited Edition Blue Vinyl, Limited Edition Bi-Coloured Vinyl, Limited Edition Mail Order Boxset from the Nuclear Blast UK store: http://nblast.de/EpicaNBUK
iTunes + ‘Universal Death Squad’ instant grat: http://nblast.de/EpicaTHPiTunes
Listen in the NB Novelties playlist: http://sptfy.com/2zZF
2CD Digipack, CD & Vinyl (inc signed insert) from Recordstore.co.uk : http://nblast.de/EpicaRecordstore

Track listing as follows:
01. Eidola
02. Edge Of The Blade
03. A Phantasmic Parade
04. Universal Death Squad
05. Divide And Conquer
06. Beyond The Matrix
07. Once Upon A Nightmare
08. The Cosmic Algorithm
09. Ascension – Dream State Armageddon
10. Dancing In A Hurricane
11. Tear Down Your Walls
12. The Holographic Principle – A Profound Understanding Of Reality

Don’t miss EPICA on tour!
10.08.-12.08. Leyendas del Rock festival XII Vilenna, Spanien

The band’s own EPIC METAL FEST:
01.10. NL Tilburg – Epic Metal Fest Netherlands
15.10. BR Sao Paulo – Epic Metal Fest Brazil

EPICA + POWERWOLF + BEYOND THE BLACK
12.01. D         Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
13.01. D         Cologne – Palladium
14.01. D         Ludwigsburg – MHP Arena
16.01. CH       Geneve – Salle Des Fetes De Thonex
17.01. CH       Zurich – Volkshaus
18.01. IT         Milan – Live Club
20.01. D         Munich – Tonhalle
21.01. A          Vienna – Gasometer
24.01. PL        Warsaw – Progresja
25.01. D         Berlin – Huxley’s
27.01. D         Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle
28.01. CZ        Prague – Forum Karlin
29.01. D          Hannover – Capitol
31.01. D          Hamburg – Mehr! Theater
01.02. BE        Brussels- Ancienne Belgique
03.02. UK       London – o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
04.02. F          Paris – Le Zénith

London tickets available from myticket.co.uk / seetickets.com
VIP-upgrades are available from: www.soundrink.com

More on EPICA:
Lyric video for the first single, “Universal Death Squad“: https://youtu.be/P_Ys_W7ySkM

www.epica.nl
www.facebook.com/epica
www.nuclearblast.de/epica

NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS UK
Web: nuclearblast.de
Facebook: facebook.com/nuclearblasteurope
Twitter: @nuclearblasteu
Instagram: @nuclearblasteurope
YouTube: youtube.com/user/NuclearBlastEurope

VADER – NEW LYRIC VIDEO RELEASED

The new EP from Polish death metal legends VADER , ‘Iron Times‘, was released on August 12th. Today, the band has released the lyric video for the brand new track, “Prayer To The God Of War” via YouTube.

VADER‘s Piotr states:
“11 days ago VADER has released a new record ‘Iron Times’. This EP includes two new tracks and two bonus cover songs. Today we have the big pleasure of introducing to you the lyric-video for one of new songs – ‘Prayer to the God of War’! The whole new album ‘The Empire’ will be out via Nuclear Blast in November and ‘Iron Times’ is the appetiser before the album. Enjoy and do not be afraid to visit us on tour in November/December!”

‘Iron Times‘ includes the following songs:

Side A
01. Parabellum
02. Prayer To The God Of War
Side B
01. Piesc I Stal
02. Overkill

The EP is available digitally here: http://nblast.de/VaderIronTimesiTunes

VADER have also announced the release of their new studio album, ‘The Empire‘. The follow-up to their highly-acclaimed 2014 album, ‘Tibi Et Igni‘, was recorded at Hertz Studios in Bialystok, Poland and produced byWojtek and Slawek Wiesawski.

‘The Empire’ will be released on November 04th, 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

VADER live:
26.08. SK Terchova – Terchovsky Budzogan Festival PIRO
02.09. F Torcy – Fall of Summer Fest

Transsiberian Blitz TOUR 2016
09.09. Rus    St.Petersburg – OPERA
10.09. Rus    Kazań – „Mayakovsky”
11.09. Rus    Moscow – Brooklyn
12.09. Rus    Samara – Zvezda
13.09. Rus   Yekaterinburg – Nirvana
14.09. Rus   Novosibirsk – „R-club”
15.09. Rus   Krasnoyarsk – „Era”
16.09. Rus   Irkutsk – Rock’n’Roll Pub
17.09. Rus Khabarovsk – Velicano
18.09. Rus Vladivostok – SanRemo Hall
20.09. RC Bejing – Yu Gong Yi Shan
22.09. RC Hong Kong – Hidden Agenda
23.09. T   Taipei – The Wall
24.09. J     Osaka – Shinsaibashi Paradigm
26.09. J     Tokyo – Harajuku Astro Hall

The Empire Rising Europe 2016 pt. ONE
(w/ Hate Eternal , Threat Signal)
04.11. D Bad Oeynhausen – Druckerei
05.11. D Andernach – Juz-Live-Club
06.11. B Arlon – L’Entrepo
07.11. TBA
08.11. TBA
09.11. CH Zurich – Dynamo
10.11. TBA
11.11. I Brescia – Circolo Colony
12.11. TBA
13.11. NL Rotterdam – Baroeg
14.11. UK London – The Dome
15.11. TBA
16.11. TBA
17.11. TBA
18.11. TBA
19.11. D Essem – Turock
20.11. D Leipzig – Taubchenthal

w/ INFERNAL WAR, INCIDIUS
22.11. PL        Poznan – Blue Note
23.11. PL        Torun – Od Nowa
24.11. PL        Zabrze – Wiatrak
25.11. PL        Wroclaw – Alibi
26.11. PL        Katowice – Mega Club
27.11. PL        Rzeszow – Life House
29.11. PL        Krakow – Kwadrat
30.11. PL        Bialystok – Zmiana Klimatu
01.12. PL        Lublin – Graffiti
02.12. PL        Warszawa – Progresja
03.12. PL        Gdansk – B90
04.12. PL        Olsztyn – Andergrant

More info:
www.vader.pl
www.facebook.com/vader
www.nuclearblast.de/vader

NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS UK
Web: nuclearblast.de
Facebook: facebook.com/nuclearblast.uk
Twitter: @nuclearblasteu
Instagram: @nuclearblasteurope
YouTube: youtube.com/user/NuclearBlastEurope

Mothertongue release live video of Perfect Zero – recorded at The Castle Hotel launch gig

Following the succesful launch event for the release of their debut album ‘Unsongs’, Manchester band Mothertongue have released a video of them performing a track from the album – ‘Perfect Zero’ – recorded at the gig at The Castle Hotel in Manchester on the 8th of April. The video was filmed and produced by the band’s drummer John Simm.

‘Unsongs’ is 13 tracks that make up an inspirational, progressive-pop melting pot with touches of punk and ska thrown in for good measure. Along with drummer Simm, the band consists of Louis Smith (guitar, vocals), Mark Wall (guitar), Phil Dixon (guitar), Will Holden (bass) and Andy Malbon (trumpet).

With its incisive, intelligent lyrics and first-class musicianship, ‘Unsongs’ is unlike anything you will have heard in recent years. The music will lead you on a roller-coaster journey of acid jazz inventiveness that’s a big heap of noisy and light and also includes a lot of brass because everyone likes brass, right?

‘Unsongs’ was released through Bad Elephant Music 15th April 2016.

Buy ‘Unsongs’ from the Bad Elephant music store…

Band pictures by Ed Sprake Photography

Check out the rest of Ed’s great photos of the launch event, including support band We Are Kin

iamthemorning confirmed for the BE PROG! MY FRIEND festival in Barcelona

BE PROG! MY FRIEND FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE FINAL BAND IAMTHEMORNING

CO-HEADLINERS STEVEN WILSON & OPETH

MAGMA, BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME, ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN, THE PINEAPPLE THIEF, TEXTURES, OBSIDIAN KINGDOM, EXXASENS

1ST – 2ND JULY

Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend have announced the final band for this year’s line-up. Russian progressive duo Iamthemorning who released their new album ‘Lighthouse’ earlier this month will join the likes of co-headliners Steven Wilson and Opeth as well as Magma, The Pineapple Thief, Between The Buried and Me and many more. Vocalist Marjana Semkina comments:

‘It’s a great pleasure for us to join the amazing line up of Be Prog! My Friend this year – such a lovely surprise at the very last moment. It’s a great pleasure, but also a great challenge. We’ll be playing the chamber set with our string duo (cello and violin) and some percussion, and you can’t get more different from other bands on the festival. So, we’ll see how the audience responds to such a huge contrast and our almost classical sound. It will be our first appearance in Spain and first big prog festival – wow, so many things for the first time. Very exciting.’

Since its inception in 2014 the Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend has played host to the likes of Anathema, Devin Townsend, TesseracT, Camel, Meshuggah, Katatonia, Riverside, Isahn and Alcest.

Taking place in the beautiful open air surroundings of Poble Espanyol, the site is one of the most important landmarks of tourism in Barcelona. By day the Catalonian hotspot is an architectural museum and on the first weekend of July it will play host to some of the world’s finest progressive bands.

Sponsored by Metal Hammer and Prog Magazine, 2016 will see Be Prog! My Friend co-headlined by Steven Wilson and fellow progressive heavy weights Opeth.

Friday 1^st July Is a free entry show only for those who have purchased tickets for the Saturday. This will also now take place at Poble Espanyol having been moved from the Sala Apolo concert hall to meet demand. The line-up features Steven Wilson’s label mates The Pineapple Thief who will be joined by the highly rated Icelandic band Agent Fresco and Barcelona’s very own Obsidian Kingdom and Exxasens as well as the newly added iamthemorning.

The line-up so far:

Friday 1^st July, Poble Espanyol:

The Pineapple Thief, iamthemorning, Agent Fresco, Obsidian Kingdom, Exxasens

Saturday 2^nd July, Poble Espanyol:

Steven Wilson, Opeth, Magma, Between The Buried & Me, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Textures

Tickets priced at 90 Euros are available here:

http://ticketmaster.es/es/entradas-musica/be-prog-my-friend/6279/

http://www.beprogmyfriend.com/

facebook.com/beprogmyfriend

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com

MORE INFO:

Share this:

ORDER ‘UNDER THE RED CLOUD’:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: